Volume 5, July 16, 2009 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) 2009 SUPPORTING STUDENT SUCCESS GRANTS AWARDED

2) FREE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS WORKSHOPS

3) WASHINGTON READS CELEBRITY POSTERS AVAILABLE

4) GOT A QUESTION? TRY ASK-WA!

6) LIVING LIBRARIES – UNDERSTANDING DIVERSITY WEBINAR

5) NEW WSL BROADBAND RESOURCE PAGE

7) STATEWIDE DATABASE SEARCH STATS

—————————————————————————————————————

1) 2009 SUPPORTING STUDENT SUCCESS GRANTS AWARDED

Congratulations to the latest group of Washington libraries who have been awarded LSTA grants through the Supporting Student Success initiative. Six libraries received a Supporting Student Success competitive grant and 24 libraries received a Supporting Student Success small project grant.

The Supporting Student Success Initiative seeks to improve students’ ability to effectively complete Classroom Based Assessment (CBA) requirements, specifically social studies. It encourages collaborative efforts among libraries, learners, and schools through information literacy activities, opportunities, and demonstration projects. The focus of this grant cycle is on libraries and their role in supporting the CBAs.

These grants are part of the 2009 Supporting Student Success grant cycle that will end August 13, 2010. Supporting Student Success grants are made funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). For more information, including a description of the projects, visit www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/grants or contact Martha Shinners, Project Manager, [email protected] 360.570.5567, or Jeff Martin, Grants Program, [email protected] 360.704.5248.

—————————————————————————————————————

2) FREE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS WORKSHOPS

The Protecting Library & Archive Collections: Disaster Preparedness, Response & Recovery workshops are presented in a 2-part sequence to produce the following outcomes for disaster preparedness activities:

• Complete a disaster plan by the end of Part 2.
• Learn how to train staff to implement your plan effectively.
• Set pre- and post-disaster action priorities for your collections.
• Learn how to use practical decision-making skills during an emergency.
• Experience salvage procedures for books, documents, and non-print media.

The workshop days are scheduled 6-10 weeks apart. Participants will prepare short assignments prior to the first session; between sessions, they will undertake additional assignments resulting in a completed disaster plan at the end of Part 2. Upon completion, the institution will be invited to join an informal network of WESTPAS trained personnel to provide mutual aid in the event of emergencies involving collections in the region.

For more details, including dates, locations and registration information, visit: www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/prepare.

—————————————————————————————————————

3) WASHINGTON READS CELEBRITY POSTERS AVAILABLE

Do you have library customers or community organizations that would like Washington Reads posters? Please help us distribute Washington Reads posters throughout the state. If you can use multiple copies as prizes for summer reading participants or for community event giveaways, please call Shirley Lewis at 360-704-5211 or toll free 866.538.4996.

Most posters are available in English and Spanish versions and in two sizes. Quantities are limited and posters will be distributed first asked, first served. To see what posters are available, visit the State Library’s web site at www.secstate.wa.gov/library/wa_reads/posters.aspx.

—————————————————————————————————————

4) GOT A QUESTION? TRY ASK-WA!

When you think of libraries, I bet you think of books. Don’t worry, everyone does. If you’re a library power-user, you might be aware of free Internet access, computer use, and some fun programs. What you might not be aware of is that libraries have trained information experts eagerly waiting for you to ask them your toughest questions.

Getting the best answers to your questions just got a lot easier with Ask-WA. More than 60 Washington libraries, backed by an even larger network of libraries worldwide, have teamed up so that you can ask your questions anytime, 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, and get great answers from a live librarian.

Are you a college student looking for that last-minute resource for your 8 a.m. paper? Librarians are available, even at 3a.m., to help you find the right resources and ace your course. Need help applying for jobs, finding good schools, or learning new skills? Ask-WA has you covered. Need to settle a bet? We’ll help. Want to find some good summer reading? We love recommending books!

Ask-WA connects you live to your librarians … whenever, wherever you need them. Try it now @ ask.wa.gov.

—————————————————————————————————————

5) NEW WSL BROADBAND RESOURCE PAGE

The Washington State Library has released a new Broadband Stimulus Funding Resource page at www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/broadband. The page describes the role that WSL will play in assisting Washington libraries in their quest for broadband stimulus funding, specifically, to facilitate information sharing and partnering between libraries and other applicant partners by providing public information resources and making libraries aware of potential partners. It is not WSL’s intention to apply for broadband stimulus funding on behalf of Washington’s libraries.

Broadband stimulus funding applicants – those who desire to partner with Washington libraries – are invited to send abstracts and links to their application proposals. These will be posted, and the information distributed through library e-mail lists and other communication channels. Other links useful to applicants will also be provided. For example, the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) and Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) and Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) applications are linked. These are “must reads” for applicants or those desiring to partner with them.

The Library Council of Washington adopted a resolution supporting libraries seeking broadband stimulus funding which is available by request. For additional information contact Rand Simmons, Manager for Library Development, [email protected] 360.570.5585 or toll free 866.538.4996.

—————————————————————————————————————

6) LIVING LIBRARIES – UNDERSTANDING DIVERSITY WEBINAR

On July 22, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time WebJunction presents a free one-hour webinar, Living Library Project: Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover. The Living Library is a unique event that brings together people who have special interests, beliefs or experiences to share their personal story with members of the community. In this innovative program, participants can “check out” Living Books for a personal conversation.

Join project leads Rebecca Judd from Kitsap Regional Library System (WA), and Julie MacDonald and Rachel Foyt from Santa Monica Public Library (CA). Hear how they planned and implemented the project in their libraries, and find out how you can create a Living Library in your community. For more information, and to register, go to WebJunction via this shortcut www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/LivingLibrary.

—————————————————————————————————————

7) STATEWIDE DATABASE SEARCH STATS

Every year about this time the SDL (Statewide Database Licensing) Project compiles annual statewide usage statistics for the package of ProQuest databases subsidized by the project. For the period from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009, there were 6,226,188 searches conducted statewide, an increase of almost 5% over the 5,945,202 searches conducted during the previous year.

These numbers include searches in all of the ProQuest content, including eLibrary, CultureGrams, World Conflicts Today, and the entire package of standard ProQuest platform databases. Currently participating in the project are 63 public libraries and library systems, 34 community and technical college libraries, 22 private academic libraries, 28 special, medical, and research libraries, plus most of the K-12 libraries throughout the state, and of course, all of their patrons.

When divided into the annual $500,000 cost for the ProQuest package, this comes out to only $0.08 per search. Quite a bargain for Washingtonians! Half the cost is subsidized using federal LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) funds, while the other half is divided between the participating libraries, which means that libraries are only paying $0.04 per search.

For more information on the SDL project, visit www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/SDL or contact Will Stuivenga, project manager at [email protected] 360.704.5217.

—————————————————————————————————————